Unbeaten bush star steps up for challenge

Geoff Wilson

SCONE'S unbeaten sprinter Maroney Avenue will chase an emotion-charged feature win in the Carrington Stakes at Rosehill on Tuesday.

Trainer Rod Northam will give Maroney Avenue his first crack at city opposition in the listed $100,000 race over 1100 metres.

Under Northam's astute care, Maroney Avenue has gone from a cast-off to a bush star. The gelding has put six wins together, and another on Tuesday would be extra special for everyone associated with the five-year-old.

A victory in a feature race in the city would be dedicated to the late Martin Hawcroft, who bred the horse. Hawcroft died on April 30 after a shooting accident on his Byerley Stud in the Hunter Valley.

Hawcroft, 53, was a well-known horse breeder and businessman in Newcastle and the Hunter Valley. Detectives found that Hawcroft was shot accidentally by his own gun as he climbed through a barbed-wire fence.

He stood stallions such as Victoria Derby winner Nothin' Leica Dane at his stud, and was renowned for his love of horses and his quest to find that special galloper. Hawcroft's wife Jenny still races Maroney Avenue with two friends.

''Martin would have been the first bloke on track to see Maroney Avenue run in a race like the Carrington,'' Newcastle Herald form expert Gary Harley said. ''He just loved racing, and I know the boys with the horse see the Carrington as a way of paying tribute to Martin.

''This horse is potentially the best Martin ever had. I have seen all his wins, and he is something very special. Rod has done a great job with him, placing him so well in the country and the $50,000 Malcolm Cusick memorial race at Gosford. That day he was sensational because he came from well back and sprouted wings in the straight. That should be the way he races in the Carrington. He won't go with the speedsters, but he will be coming home hard.''

Northam said the Carrington was ''raising the bar'' for Maroney Avenue, but added: ''I am very happy with him right now.''